About the job

Job summary

Please refer to job description.

Job description

We encourage applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that represents the wider society that we serve. We pride ourselves on being an employer of choice. We champion diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued and a sense of belonging. To find out more about how we do this visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity.

Policy Advisor, Judicial Pensions (up to 2 posts available)

Band C (HEO)

Judicial and Legal Services Policy Directorate  

The Judicial and Legal Services Policy Directorate is recruiting permanently for up to two HEO Policy Advisors (Judicial Pensions). This campaign is being run externally and so is open to all who consider themselves suitable for the roles and meet the eligibility criteria in the wider advert within Civil Service Jobs. 

Location:

Successful candidates will have the option to be based at one of the following locations:
1.    5 Wellington Place, Leeds 
2.    102 Petty France, London 

Occasional travel between the two locations may be required.

In order for Policy Group to meet its evolving business needs all Policy Group staff are expected to attend their base location (102 Petty France or 5 Wellington Place Leeds) at least 2 days a week.  This hybrid working arrangement is not contractual and as a result staff could be asked to attend their base location more frequently.

Ways of Working

At the MoJ we believe and promote alternative ways of working, these roles are available as:

•    Full-time, part-time or the option to job share
•    Flexible working patterns
•    Flexible working arrangements between base locations, MoJ Hubs and home.

If we receive applications from more suitable candidates than we have vacancies for at this time, we may hold suitable applicants on a reserve list for 12 months, and future vacancies requiring the same skills and experience could be offered to candidates on the reserve list without a new competition.

We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently underrepresented in our workforce and pride ourselves as being an employer of choice. To find out more about how we champion diversity and inclusion in the workplace, visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity 

Salary

New entrants to the Civil Service will be expected to join on the minimum of the pay range.  

If you are already a civil servant and are successful in an external recruitment competition for a role with us, your starting pay will be the better of:
•    promotion terms or transfer terms, as appropriate; or
•    pay on appointment arrangements (minimum of pay range)

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ)

MoJ is the largest government department, employing over 90,000 people with a budget of approximately £10 billion. Each year, millions of people use our services across the UK - including at 500 courts and tribunals, and 133 prisons in England and Wales.

Further information can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice

The Work of Judicial and Legal Services Policy Directorate

The Judicial and Legal Services Policy Directorate is part of MoJ’s Policy and Strategy Group. We are responsible for supporting the Lord Chancellor to fulfil his responsibilities in respect of the judiciary and for the department’s sponsorship of the legal services sector.

Within the Judicial and Legal Services Policy Directorate, the Judicial Pay, Pensions and Terms and Conditions Policy Division advises the Lord Chancellor on the high-profile and sensitive issue of judicial remuneration.   We are working to develop and implement policy in key areas so that we can continue to attract and retain the best legal minds for judicial office, while operating within the constraints of public finances.

Policy Advisor, Judicial Pensions - the role

As a Policy Advisor in the Judicial Pensions Policy team you will play a part in the design and development of pension scheme features and the underpinning regulations, engaging with a range of colleagues across MoJ and other departments. You will need to get to grips with complex pensions issues and assist with ongoing policy enquiries, including those affecting individual judges. You will play a part in delivering at least one of the priority work strands.

There are two roles available; an Engagement and Systems Improvement Advisor, and a Systems Improvement and Case Resolution Advisor. 

Duties may include, but are not limited to: 

•    Providing high quality advice, briefing, correspondence and policy recommendations to ministers and senior officials.
•    Supporting the development of legislation through Parliament.
•    Working with colleagues to operationalise key policies related to the judicial pension.
•    Engaging with various stakeholders, including Judicial Office, HM Courts and Tribunals Service and judges at all levels of seniority. 
•    Handling specific case queries, and conducting subsequent research, to resolve policy issues regarding judicial pensions. 
•    Assisting with the coordination of briefings between senior officials and the senior judiciary.
•    Leading on policy development for specific judicial pensions issues and progressing work to resolve issues. 
•    Providing support to other members of the team as required on wider judicial pensions issues.

In addition to the duties above, role specific duties may include: 

For the Engagement and Systems Improvements Advisor: 
•    Develop and review communications and engagement strategy and materials for judicial pensions policy. 

For the Systems Improvement and Case Resolution Advisor: 
•    Develop and review technical guidance, and engagement with operational colleagues for subsequent implementation. 

Please indicate if you have a preference between the roles. 

Skills and Experience

We are looking for people with the following skills and experience: 

Essential:
•    Excellent written and oral communication skills
•    Sound judgement and the ability to provide well-articulated advice
•    The ability to form and maintain productive partnerships with stakeholders and colleagues
•    The ability to assimilate complex technical and legal information quickly, and to convey that in simple language
•    The ability to manage a varied workload, and to identify priorities proactively. 

Desirable:
•    Knowledge of pensions and/or public sector pensions policy

Candidates applying from HMPPS should note that the Ministry of Justice does not have the same conditions of employment as HMPPS. It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure they are aware of the terms and conditions they will adopt should they be successful.

The MoJ is proud to be Level 3 Disability Confident. Disability Confident is the approach through which we offer guaranteed interviews for all people with disabilities meeting the minimum criteria for the advertised role as set out in the job description.

Application process

You will be assessed against the Civil service success profiles framework.

You must ensure that any evidence submitted as part of your application, including your CV and behaviour examples, are truthful and factually accurate. Please note that plagiarism can include presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own.

Experience

You will be asked to provide a CV during the application process in order to assess any demonstrable experience, career history and achievements that are relevant to the role.

Behaviours

During the application process you will be asked to provide an example of how you have met the following behaviour (see Annex A for more information):

•    Communicating and Influencing 
•    Making Effective Decisions 
•    Seeing the Big Picture 
•    Managing a Quality Service 

Please also refer to the CS Behaviours framework for more details at this grade:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/717275/CS_Behaviours_2018.pdf

Should we receive a large number of applications, we will sift primarily on the lead behaviour of Communicating and Influencing. Successful applicants will then be invited to an interview, testing both behaviours and strengths.

Candidates invited to Interview 

Please note that interviews will be carried out remotely. 

During the panel interview, you will be asked behaviour-based questions to explore in detail what you are capable of, and strengths-based questions to also explore what you enjoy, and your motivations relevant to the job role. 

There is no expectation or requirement for you to prepare for the strengths-based questions in advance of the interview, though you may find it helpful to spend some time reflecting on what you enjoy doing and what you do well.

You can refer to the CS Strengths dictionary for more details:  Success Profiles - Civil Service Strengths Dictionary (publishing.service.gov.uk)

In addition to the behaviour and strengths-based questions, you will also be asked to undertake a short, written comprehension exercise. There is no expectation or requirement for you to prepare for this in advance. 

Interviews are expected to take place May 2024. 

Contact information   

Please do get in touch MOJ-Recruitment-Vetting-Enquiries@gov.sscl.com if you would like to know more about the role or what it is like working in our team. 

Annex A - The STAR method

Using the STAR method can help you give examples of relevant experience that you have. It allows you to set the scene, show what you did, and how you did it, and explain the overall outcome.

Situation - Describe the situation you found yourself in. You must describe a specific event or situation. Be sure to give enough detail for the job holder to understand.
•    Where are you?
•    Who was there with you?
•    What had happened?

Task - The job holder will want to understand what you tried to achieve from the situation you found yourself in.
•    What was the task that you had to complete and why?
•    What did you have to achieve?

Actions - What did you do? The job holder will be looking for information on what you did, how you did it and why. Keep the focus on you. What specific steps did you take and what was your contribution? Remember to include how you did it, and the behaviours you used. Try to use “I” rather than “we” to explain your actions that lead to the result. Be careful not to take credit for something that you did not do.

Results - Don’t be shy about taking credit for your behaviour. Quote specific facts and figures. Explain how the outcome benefitted the organisation or your area. Make the outcomes easily understandable.
•    What results did the actions produce?
•    What did you achieve through your actions and did you meet your goals?
•    Was it a successful outcome? If not, what did you learn from the experience?

Keep the situation and task parts brief. Concentrate on the action and the result. If the result was not entirely successful describe what you learned from this and what you would do differently next time. Make sure you focus on your strengths.

Person specification

Please refer to job description.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £32,827, Ministry of Justice contributes £8,896 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.https://justicejobs.tal.net/vx/candidate/cms/About%20the%20MOJ

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.